Drabbles
by Mara Greengrass
Summary: A continuing series of unconnected drabbles involving the Enterprise crew. Characters, moods, and pairings will vary.
1. Editorial Discretion

"Editorial Discretion"  
  
"Damn it, Hoshi, can't T'Pol leave my reports alone?" Trip paced the length of his quarters, forcing her to duck his flailing arms and perch in the chair.  
  
"Relax, Trip, it's part of her job," she said. "Besides, nobody expects you to be a good writer."  
  
"Thanks for the support," he growled.  
  
"I just meant--"  
  
"I know what you meant." Trip leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, pouting.  
  
She sighed. "What did she change that's annoying you?"  
  
Trip flushed a brilliant red. "The first paragraph now says that the problem was 'excessive coupling in the warp coils.'" 


	2. Picnic Problems

"Picnic Problems"  
  
"Trip...an insect is stealing our picnic," Hoshi said.  
  
Basking in the alien sunshine that warmed his bones, Trip waved a hand at her and didn't open his eyes. "Well, I don't begrudge an ant some of Chef's excellent brisket, do you?"   
  
"Normally, I wouldn't. But we might want to do /b."  
  
Trip yawned, breathing in the floral-scented air as he opened his eyes. "Hoshi, what are you talking ab--"   
  
The "ant" was royal blue, with too many hairy legs for Trip to count. It was also five feet tall and carrying the entire picnic basket in its mouth.  
  
"Aaaaahhhh!" 


	3. Travis' Decision

"Travis' Decision"  
  
Travis stood in front of Jon, expression sad but stubborn. "I'd like to request a transfer, sir," he said.  
  
"But why?"  
  
"I don't feel you're using me to my full potential."  
  
A wave of sadness came over Jon. "I wish you'd said something sooner, Travis. You're a valuable member of this crew. But if you're sure..."  
  
"I am." Travis was having trouble staying calm, his jaw working furiously.  
  
"In that case, I'll approve your transfer. Dismissed, Ensign."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Travis turned and reached for the button to open the door. "Oh, one more thing, Captain."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"April Fool!" 


	4. It's All In Your Perspective

__

It's All In Your Perspective

She wondered why the trees were moving. Hoshi was pretty certain that wasn't supposed to happen, even if she couldn't remember why she was lying down.

"Why are the trees moving?" she mumbled.

"What?" one of the trees asked.

"Where are you going?"

"What's she talking about, Phlox?" another tree said.

A branch waved over her face. "Perhaps she was hit harder than we thought, Captain."

"Talking trees," she giggled. "Neat!" She watched with fuzzy amusement as several trees shuffled around her quickly, each with a slightly different color of bark.

"We're not trees, Hoshi."

"That's what they always say."


	5. Monsters in Starfleet Uniforms

"Monsters in Starfleet Uniforms"  
  
"Monsters! They're monsters, I tell you!" Hoshi stamped into Jon's ready room, waving a padd like a sword.  
  
Only force of will kept him from jumping out of her way as she stuck it under his nose. "What?"  
  
"I refuse to participate in a travesty like this. If they insist, I'll resign, I swear." Her face was red and eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
"Who? What's wrong?"  
  
"The admirals, that's who. Not only are they monsters, they're all perverts."  
  
Taken aback, Jon could only stare.  
  
"Have you seen these proposed uniforms? Have you seen how short the skirts are? They're monsters!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Okay, I'll admit it. I stole the idea of referring to the TOS uniforms from somebody at in the LiveJournal roleplaying group NX01messhall. I can't remember who it was, but someone (Taryn? Stexgirl?) used it for a couple of throwaway jokes. It worked so perfectly for a drabble that I'm hoping whoever it was will forgive me. ::puppy dog eyes:: 


	6. Freedom's Just Another Word

"Freedom's Just Another Word..."  
  
Travis sits at his station, staring out at the stars. There's not much for a navigator/pilot to do, no ships, no nearby planets to investigate, not even any interesting stellar phenomena. Just space dust.  
  
Which leaves him too much time to think.  
  
He thinks about his family, the Horizon, how badly he wanted to leave and join Starfleet. Family stifled him, especially in their close confines.  
  
In Starfleet, Travis figured, he'd be free to go his own way, never haul freight again.  
  
He never realized that freedom would mean losing so many of the things that were important to him. 


	7. Strike Up the Band

"Strike Up the Band"  
  
Hoshi almost laughed as Enterprise headed toward the Expanse. The whole departure felt oddly anticlimactic, as if someone should march beside them playing drum and fife, trumpeting the songs of war.  
  
Because Enterprise--Earth's first warp five ship, built for peaceful exploration--was off to war.  
  
She was there because of loyalty, others had stayed for revenge. Earth had never known such a devastating attack and floundered in its wake, but Starfleet knew what to do.  
  
In her mind, the band played as Enterprise went to warp.  
  
She couldn't tell if it was a victory march or a funeral dirge. 


	8. Nice Work If You Can Get It

"Nice Work If You Can Get It"  
  
Hoshi waved at Malcolm as he picked up his dinner, and came over. "I'm sorry to hear you won't be joining us for shore leave," he said, sitting down.  
  
"Yeah, that's too bad." Trip poked at his fish. "I'll almost feel bad having fun."  
  
"Don't do that," Hoshi said. "I'm sure I'll keep busy."  
  
Trip frowned. "Don't work too hard."  
  
Twenty-four hours later, she sank back in bed with a sigh, picking up the first linguistics journal in her pile. She sorted through her box of emergency chocolate, choosing a coconut cream.  
  
"Ah, nice work if you can get it." 


	9. Stiff Upper Lip

"Stiff Upper Lip"  
  
Starfleet armory officers undergo fairly rigorous training, and Malcolm had applied himself to that training with great energy. Some of it he never talked about, such as learning how to survive torture and interrogation.  
  
Malcolm suspected his teachers had no clue how that training would be applied once he was in the field.  
  
As he eyed his adversary, he wondered just how much he would be forced to reveal in order to escape. Perhaps he might be able to make a run through that door...  
  
"So, Malcolm," Captain Archer said as he sipped his orange juice, "how are things going?" 


	10. I Can't Be Bothered Now

"I Can't Be Bothered Now"  
  
The lush music swelled, sounding as if he'd tucked an orchestra into the bulkhead. Despite the close quarters, Jon contrived to swing Hoshi in a circle, dip, and dance on. Her cheeks felt warm--she laughed, misgivings swept away in sheer joy.  
  
"I didn't even know you could dance." She'd forgotten how happy it made her to move with another person like this.  
  
Jon grinned and executed an intricate little step around her feet. "For you, I can do anything."  
  
She looked away as his smile had the usual volcano effect on her insides. "What brought this on?"  
  
Jon sang:   
  
"I'm up among the stars  
  
On earthly things I frown  
  
I'm throwing off the bars that held me down.  
  
I'll pay the piper  
  
When times are riper  
  
Just now, I shan't.  
  
Because you see I'm dancing and I can't be bothered now."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Okay, to be technical, it's 100 words if you don't count the song lyrics. Hey, I'm trying to cheer somebody up here, okay? ::grin:: 


	11. Cheek to Cheek

"Cheek to Cheek" (A/S, Sequel to "I Can't Be Bothered Now")  
  
Although busy dancing--their second favorite activity--Hoshi tried to read Jon's expression. The message they'd received from Starfleet was unequivocal: Enterprise was recalled to Earth, to be replaced by newer, faster ships.  
  
As Jon swung her around his quarters, they automatically avoided stepping on Porthos. Her stomach was knotted with conflicting emotions--bubbling joy at the touch of her partner, and concern for his happiness.  
  
"Jon," she said breathlessly, "are you okay?"  
  
"Never better." He managed to sneak in a kiss without dropping a step, his dancing only improved over the years.  
  
"No regrets? Truly?"  
  
Without pausing, he sang:  
  
"Oh I love to climb a mountain  
  
And reach the highest peak.  
  
But it doesn't thrill me half as much  
  
As dancing cheek to cheek." 


	12. Help Unasked For

"Help Unasked For"  
  
"I don't want any damn lessons on suppressing my emotions," Trip snarled, trying to close the door.  
  
T'Pol stopped it with a hand. "I was not suggesting that. Although it might make the atmosphere more...pleasant for me, it would not be appropriate for you."  
  
"Then why'd you drag your Vulcan ass here?"  
  
"To help you find constructive ways to express those emotions. But I can see I was mistaken--you do not wish my assistance."  
  
T'Pol allowed her expression to look ever so slightly crestfallen.   
  
Trip grimaced, but his upbringing kicked in. "It's not...it's just..."  
  
T'Pol waited.  
  
"Fine. Come in."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Yes indeedy, folks, it's Mara's take on what TIIC *should* mean by their references to a Tu/T "relationship." Look, Ma, no sex! It's all about teamwork and friendship ;) 


	13. The Stories We Tell

This and the next drabble are two separate responses to Medie's descendants challenge on EWB_Scribble. Okay, this one isn't quite what she was talking about, but I liked it anyway.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"The Stories We Tell"  
  
She felt tears in her eyes as she beheld the small crying child, curled in a ball, shutting out the cruel adult world. His grandmother saw her own sadness reflected.  
  
"I'm here, Johnny." She sat on the couch and pulled him into her lap.   
  
"Grandma," he said, raising his red face to hers. "Grandpa's not coming back."  
  
"Yes, dear, I know." She swallowed her own sadness. "But if we remember him, he's not completely gone."  
  
The child sniffled and Hoshi hugged him. "Did your Grandpa Malcolm ever tell you about the time he faced down an entire room of Klingons?" 


	14. Letters From Far Away

"Letters From Far Away"  
  
Dear Cousin:  
  
Stop worrying. I mean it! I don't know why you think your Mom and Dad will disapprove, but forget it. Sure they'll miss you, but they'll also be proud that you, Ivan, and little Anika plan to emigrate to one of the new colonies.   
  
Hey, just because the Mayweathers have been pilots since the days of ol' Travis doesn't mean we can't do other things. Expanding humanity's reach is the kind of thing our ancestor would've loved. After all, even *he* settled down eventually. Adventures aren't for everyone, and neither is Starfleet.  
  
Love from the USS Piscataway,  
  
Andrew 


	15. Friends Don't Let Friends Sneeze Alone D...

"Friends Don't Let Friends Sneeze Alone"  
  
Hoshi lay in her bunk, surrounded by the necessary accoutrements: tissues, a glass of water, and medications. She was laid low by the common cold and there wasn't a damn thing modern medicine could do except ease the symptoms. Slightly.   
  
Phlox found it amusing, probably because Denobulans don't get colds. Her door chimed and she sneezed, tearing at her already painfully sore throat.  
  
"Hi, Hoshi," Trip said, stepping in, "I brought you some things."  
  
She tried to glare, but it took too much energy. "I thought I said everybody should leave me to die."  
  
"Well, until that happens, here's some stuff that might help."  
  
Curiosity got the better of her. "What?"  
  
Balancing the box, Trip pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Let's see." He rummaged a bit. "Chef sent you chicken soup, his mom's recipe." Out came a pot, heavenly-smelling even through her stuffed nose. Next he hauled out two padds. "And to keep you busy, Liz sent trashy novels and Malcolm sent crossword puzzles."   
  
Dazed, she took the padds. "Oh."  
  
"I brought company, so you'll know you're not forgotten."  
  
Hoshi dabbed her eyes. "Thank you, Trip, and thank everyone else."  
  
"Hey, what are friends for?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Yup, you guessed it, I've got a cold. Write what you know and all that. 


	16. Unexpected Views

Okay, this isn't really a drabble, but it's a ficlet, so I'm putting it here anyway. I'm sure you folks will forgive me :)  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Unexpected Views" (Mareel's 5-Minute Fic Challenge)  
  
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the scene out of his mind. He didn't think he'd ever get over the sight of his captain in such an...undignified position. Really, Malcolm thought--a bit miffed--he wouldn't have even entered the captain's quarters without knocking if not for the alarm going off.  
  
But to enter and see...that. It was just beyond the pale, honestly. Cruelty to unsuspecting armory officers, that's what it was.  
  
One minute he was minding his own business on the bridge, the next, the system was giving him an intruder alert in the captain's quarters. Well, you don't leave that kind of thing to subordinates, so Malcolm pelted through the corridors, slammed in his security override code faster than ever before, and there it was: the captain's arse sticking up.   
  
And the noises. Malcolm wasn't sure he'd ever look at the man the same way.  
  
"Damn it, Porthos, how the hell did you get into the damn ventilation shaft to begin with?" Archer shouted over the sound of frenzied barking. "Malcolm, what are you waiting for? I don't want my dog roaming the insides of the ship. Come and help me!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
::innocent look:: What? What did you think it was? ::runs off, giggling::  
  
Mareel challenged us to write a story beginning with "No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the scene out of his mind. He didn't think he'd ever..." 


	17. All Signs Point To

"All Signs Point To..."  
  
Sunburnt and disheveled, the crew huddled around Hoshi as she punched buttons on the UT, her eyes a bit wild.  
  
"No more leave on planets that don't allow shuttles," Malcolm muttered, eyeing the jostling crowd of aliens.  
  
"We'll talk about it when we get back," Jon said, trying to see what Hoshi was doing.  
  
T'Pol tilted her head. "Ensign, perhaps if you--"  
  
"Be QUIET!" Hoshi's face turned red as her crewmates and a nearby party of three-legged aliens stared at her.  
  
"What do the signs say?" Jon asked gently.  
  
"I don't know. Something about...lemmings? Egrets? That can't be right." 


	18. Traveling Blues

"Traveling Blues"  
  
T'Pol was startled by the sight of crewmembers staggering aboard after a diplomatic mission to a friendly planet. Taken aback, she couldn't frame a question.  
  
Jon held up his hand. "Don't ask."  
  
"Captain--"  
  
Trip stopped trying to scrape gunk off his boots long enough to scowl at her. "They lost our luggage. The building had no air conditioning. We all got food poisoning. Our vehicle got stuck in a swamp and we had to walk out. Can I go take a shower now?"  
  
Jon waved.  
  
Trip stomped away, his voice drifting back. "I'm never leaving the damn ship again." 


	19. They Can't Take That Away From Me

"They Can't Take That Away From Me"  
  
Malcolm didn't think he was a romantic and he wasn't good at expressing his emotions. This might, in some quarters, be a virtue--if not a necessity--in his present circumstances. But Malcolm found he couldn't agree.  
  
T'Pol touched her fingers to his head, and her words echoed in both mind and ears. "Live long and prosper," she said, stepping back.  
  
"I'll find a way..."   
  
"It is possible."  
  
So that's what 'heart in your throat' meant, he realized. "Don't forget me."  
  
"I could not."   
  
The door slid closed. Malcolm closed his eyes and breathed in the last of her scent.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Somebody asked me nicely to write this couple for them and now I've forgotten who. Anyway, as part of my continuing quest to write *something* for as many different ships as possible, here's another ship checked off the list :) 


	20. Weather or Not

"Weather or Not"  
  
The captain, Hoshi thought, was unbearably cheerful about the situation and she didn't know why. She fanned herself, moving muggy air across her face.  
  
Jon peered through the window "Well, we won't be leaving until the rain stops. I can't see a meter."  
  
She frowned. "If we'd left when I--"  
  
"I know, we'd be back on Enterprise already."  
  
"Well, yes." She swallowed, uncertain of the look in his eyes.  
  
"But if we were on Enterprise, I couldn't do this." Leaning forward, he reached out.  
  
Hoshi's eyes widened.  
  
Jon tickled her stomach, and her laughter echoed through the rainy day.  
  
* * * * *  
  
This drabble was written for Stexgirl2000 :) 


	21. Peaks and Troughs, A Double Drabble

"Peaks and Troughs--A Double Drabble"  
  
Jon held a padd, but instead of reading engineering specs he stared out at the stars. When his door chimed, he jumped, unsure how long he'd been staring.  
  
"Come in."  
  
It only took a second for Malcolm to accurately assess the situation. "Moping again?"  
  
Jon glared. "That's 'Moping again, *Captain*.'"  
  
But Malcolm just chuckled softly--undeterred--and leaned against the side of the desk.  
  
Sighing, Jon turned away to look at the stars again. "I don't know. Everything just seems so...flat. I'm another year older and what have I really accomplished? I'm captain of a ship in the Bermuda Triangle of outer space, hoping we won't all get killed."  
  
"It's not unusual, you know, to feel like this right now." Malcolm paused, taking a deep breath. "We all know what we signed up for."  
  
"That doesn't help much, right now."  
  
Hands descended on his shoulders, warm and solid and comforting. "I know. And I'm here for you."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Maybe if you'd ventured out of your ready room today, your mood would be improved."  
  
Puzzled, Jon craned his head to look at Malcolm. "If I...oh no."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No."  
  
"Hoshi may never forgive you for ruining her surprise birthday party."  
  
"Good grief."  
  
* * * * *  
  
This story has a double purpose: to cheer up Mareel and to meet Stexgirl2000's challenge to write ships I don't usually write. It's dedicated, however, to Avi. For reasons he'd understand. 


	22. Morning Surprises

"Morning Surprises"  
  
Lying in the warm bed, the thought crossed Hoshi's mind that she did *not* drink alcohol and now she remembered why: a splitting headache combined with no memory of the previous evening.  
  
Eventually it penetrated her brain that an arm lay across her chest, hand nestled in an indelicate location. Head tilted down, she considered the hand. A man's hand, it looked like...oh my...it looked like...  
  
"Hoshi?" Jon--sounding confused and half-awake--murmured into her ear.  
  
Frozen in something between horror and lust, she couldn't respond. The hand, it belonged to...  
  
"Jon?" Trip asked. "Since when do you have breasts?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
This drabble is stexgirl2000's reward for being one of three winners of my Anti-Marriage Protection Week Contest. She'd asked for either A/Tu/S, A/Tu/T, or R/Tu/S. 


	23. Gossip Makes the World Go Round

"Gossip Makes the World Go Round"  
  
Hoshi stomped into the room. "Do you know, I think we're going to have to reveal our secret, because the gossip is driving me absolutely INSANE!"  
  
"Which gossip?"  
  
"Oh, people claim that I exchange 'significant glances' with Malcolm on the bridge."  
  
"Do you?"  
  
"No! Of course not. And I distinctly heard Alison say that the captain and I had chemistry together."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"And Liz insists that I'm watching Trip's ass. And Travis' shoulders."  
  
"Really."  
  
"Yes, really." Hoshi leaned over and kissed T'Pol's nose, her expression impudent. "I know, Vulcans don't get jealous. But you can't blame a girl for trying."  
  
* * * * *  
  
This drabble is seema's reward for being one of three winners of my Anti-Marriage Protection Week Contest. She asked for something with Hoshi. 


End file.
